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Topic: Hanging Choir Mics: Need information |
George Kimery
From:
Limestone, TN, USA
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Posted 23 Nov 2006 6:20 am |
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| My church wants to buy a couple of the choir mics that hang from the ceiling. They put me in charge of finding out the brand name and model numbers and find a good place to get them at a good price. I am quite familar with mics, just not these hanging babies. I would also be interested in any experience anybody has had with them or recommendations. |
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Darvin Willhoite
From:
Roxton, Tx. USA
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Posted 23 Nov 2006 7:22 am
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We took them out of our church, they were very prone to feedback, even though they were not run through the monitors. They didn't really help much. We use 4 Shure SM81's on boom stands now and get a lot better sound.
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Darvin Willhoite
Riva Ridge Recording
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James Quackenbush
From:
Pomona, New York, USA
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Posted 23 Nov 2006 8:10 pm
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George,
What you are looking for are omnidirectional mikes .....Good ones that will pick up the choir from a hanging position will be very costly ....Cheaper mic's will cause a lot of hiss .....Look into some mic's made by DPA or Earthworks
They make some decent mic's for your purposes , but again , sit down before you look at the price .... They're not for the faint of pocket book !!....Sincerely, Jim |
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George Kimery
From:
Limestone, TN, USA
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Posted 24 Nov 2006 6:10 am
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| I know that omni directional mics are needed. I was trying to find out the brand of the white mics with the white cords that hang down from the ceiling. I can make a few calls to some music stores and get the answer to that, I am sure. I am trying to convince them that they are wasting their money. It is a small country church with PA speakers right at the edge of the choir. I fear feedback will be a big problem. The sanctuary is small and they should not even need mics. However, several of the choir members are elderly and can't sing very loud. That is the main reason that they think they need mics. They are really strapped for money, to boot. Thanks for your comments, I appreciate it. |
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Mike Wheeler
From:
Delaware, Ohio, USA
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Posted 24 Nov 2006 6:51 am
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I've done a lot of church sound systems and have never advised using mics on a choir except in very large rooms. In your venue I would definitely expect feedback, no question. Now, if they want to record the choir, it's a great way to go.
James is quite correct. I'll go a step further and say you're wasting your money if you buy inexpensive mics. Not because they are inexpensive, but because, for choir work, you must have a very high quality mic to capture the true balance of sounds they make...NO coloration.
One suggestion....if they could group the weak singers together, you might be able to use a wide cardiod to give just them a little boost. Then, you could use a standard vocal mic. |
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Darrell Owens
From:
California, USA
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Posted 24 Nov 2006 9:16 pm
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George,
I am a pastor, and we have them in several churches and we always ended up taking them down. It is almost imposssible to get that mic arrangement to work in a close environment like you described, no matter which mics you buy.
The problem (as you probably know) is that you cannot place mics overhead and pick up a choir with an open moniter in close proximity. It will always feed back before it has enough gain to pick up the choir.
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Darrell Owens
www.darrellowens.com |
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Steve English
From:
Baja, Arizona
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Posted 25 Nov 2006 3:17 pm
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I have installed these mics: http://www.audio-technica.com/cms/resource_library/literature/7588cc21fcec37fc/pro45.pdf
in many, many houses of worship and have had excellent results.
NEVER put choir mics in monitors! They belong in the mains, in a mix for recording, in a transmitted mix, a "cry-room" or any other room...but never in a monitor mix. If the choir can't hear themselves, find a new chuch to attend 
These are the lesser expensive models, and come in black or white. There are more expensive models by the same company.
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James Quackenbush
From:
Pomona, New York, USA
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Posted 26 Nov 2006 11:40 am
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| From recording various choirs, pipe organs, and various performances, I have come to find that most of the feedback while mic'ing these venues , comes from cheaper mic's that force you to boost the gain on the mic pre's on the mixers or on a stand alone mic preamp so high , that it feeds back ...A high quality mic that is made for this application will not need the gain boosted so high to cause this problem.... This is what I have found...Others may have other findings that are different ....Sincerely, Jim |
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Glenn Austin
From:
Montreal, Canada
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Posted 26 Nov 2006 4:54 pm
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| George, I would go with the SM81's on boom stands. A 1/3 octave graphic equalizer will get you more gain before feeding back, by allowing you to ring out the system and lower those frequencies that tend to feedback. Now I don't know what the church is like, but I imagine that the choir would be pretty loud on their own for the people in the front, The trick is in mic, and speaker placement and filling those problem areas in the back of the hall with sound. |
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George Kimery
From:
Limestone, TN, USA
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Posted 26 Nov 2006 8:14 pm
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| Thanks to one an all for your help. I talked to them yesterday and they want to proceed even though I strongly advised them about potential feedback problems. So, it looks like the uni-directional Audio Technia mics that Steve suggests will have the best chance of working. Also, I have never used a feedback eliminator, but Beringer makes one that I can get for $59.00. I have never used a feedback eliminator, so I don't know how well they work. I fear that they will cut high frequency;s that are needed for clarity. It is a small country church and they don't have much money to spend, so that is a problem. I have owned SM 81's and they are great mic's but a little too pricy for us. |
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